In the Beginning...There was Vinyl

[Chris Gohlke]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.designtechnica.com/talkback63.html' target='_blank'>http://news.designtechnica.com/talkback63.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Anyone getting into vinyl is stumbling into a civil war that's raged in the audio press for the past 20 years. There are two kinds of audio critic. Representing the mainstream is Sound &amp; Vision, formerly Stereo Review, whose editors have always maintained that the CD improved over the LP thanks to its compactness, durability, and lack of surface noise. Without the CD, we would never have arrived at the iPod."</i><br /><br />Coke vs Pepsi, Next Gen vs original Star Trek, Windows vs Mac. All topics that bring out strong opinions. We've pretty much moved to digital for most mainstream audio applications and there have been a lot of benefits with that move, but this article reminds us of some of what we might have given up.

[that_kid]

I have a nice vinyl collection and cd's will never be able to replace it. Little know fact....when going to digital most companies compress the analog master so that the cd will be louder. Cd's have great dynamic range but most record lables believe that louder is better. That was one thing that vinyl controlled to a degree. While there are some loud records out out there, the levels at which cd's are mastered at today are well beyond that and all that brick wall limiting and compression does nothing but make the song sound like a hot mess. I still marvel at how well lp's sound when compared to many of the mainstream cd's. It's true that you can get a cd to sound just about as good as vinyl in terms of warmth but it'll take more to re-create it.

[klinux]

I have subscribed to Stereo Review/S&amp;V in the past and liked the magazine for its well-reasoned and logical advice (e.g. spend at least half your budget on speakers and listen before buying) and reviews (some low end, some mid -end, etc). Highly recommended.

Since I listen to mostly classical music which in most cases are well-mastered so dynamic range is not an issue and the convenience and sound quality of CD is just right for me.